Controlled Substances & Drug Enforcement
H.R. 1266 — Xylazine Scheduling & Control
Purpose: To classify xylazine as a controlled substance and establish a regulatory framework for its handling, tracking, and oversight.
Key Provisions:
Adds xylazine to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act.
Expands the definition of "ultimate user" to include veterinary, wildlife, and government animal-control uses.
Delays practitioner registration requirements by 60 days and directs FDA/DEA to expedite manufacturer transitions.
Mandates ARCOS tracking, Sentencing Commission guideline reviews, and reports to Congress on illicit use and trafficking.
H.R. 7184 (PRESS Act) — Preventing Rogue Equipment for Synthetic Substances Act
Purpose: To prevent the importation and domestic use of illicit pill press machines intended to counterfeit substances.
Key Provisions:
Amends Section 959 of the Controlled Substances Act to prohibit the manufacture, distribution, or possession of tableting/encapsulating machines and press punches used for illicit substances.
Increases penalties and mandates sentencing guideline updates for manufacturing or distributing unauthorized pill-making equipment.
H.R. 7970 (STOP Nitazenes Act) — Strengthening Tools to Outlaw Poisonous Nitazenes Act
Purpose: To permanently schedule 2-benzylbenzimidazole opioids (nitazenes) as Schedule I controlled substances.
Key Provisions:
Adds nitazenes to Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act and expands definitions to cover structural modifications.
Authorizes the Attorney General to publish lists of qualifying substances and issue interim final rules for implementation.
H.R. 8005 — Stop Pills That Kill Act
Purpose: To address the proliferation of counterfeit fentanyl and methamphetamine pills.
Key Provisions:
Prohibits the importation and distribution of counterfeit substances containing fentanyl or methamphetamine.
Requires the DEA to establish an operation and response plan within 180 days.
Mandates annual reports to Congress for 5 years tracking seizures, pill forms, convictions, and prevention measures.
Overdose Prevention & Health Education
H.R. 1561 (ALERT Communities Act) — Advancing Lifesaving Efforts with Rapid Test strips for Communities Act
Purpose: To address fentanyl and xylazine overdoses through technology, education, and first responder support.
Key Provisions:
Requires training and resources for first responders on handling fentanyl and xylazine test strips.
Establishes research frameworks and studies on the impact of test strip availability on overdose rates and treatment engagement.
Formally defines a "test strip" as a rapid-response diagnostic tool.
H.R. 2004 — Fentanyl Testing in Emergency Departments
Purpose: To study and provide guidance on implementing routine fentanyl testing in hospital emergency departments.
Key Provisions:
Requires the Secretary of HHS to conduct a study within 1 year on the frequency, costs, benefits, and privacy impacts of hospital fentanyl testing.
Mandates that guidance be issued within 6 months based on the study findings regarding routine implementation and clinical awareness.
H.R. 7994 (HERO Act) — Helping Educators Respond to Overdoses Act
Purpose: To provide schools with opioid overdose reversal drugs, educational resources, and emergency planning support.
Key Provisions:
Establishes a competitive grant program prioritized for schools in high-overdose areas to purchase reversal drugs.
Requires schools distributing reversal drugs to submit data to NEMSIS and ODMAP.
Mandates annual reporting on drug distribution and emergency response plans.
Healthcare Pricing, Transparency & Administration
H.R. 3514 — Medicare Advantage Prior Authorization Improvements
Purpose: To improve seniors' timely access to care by reforming and bringing transparency to Medicare Advantage prior authorization.
Key Provisions:
Requires Medicare Advantage plans to establish a secure electronic prior authorization program.
Imposes transparency rules, including public disclosure of approval/denial rates, metrics, utilized technologies, and grievance reports.
Mandates triennial MedPAC performance reports.
H.R. 5243 — Medicare Advantage Supplemental Benefits Data Transparency
Purpose: To increase data transparency and accountability for supplemental benefits under Medicare Advantage.
Key Provisions:
Requires MA organizations to submit enrollee-level data on supplemental benefits (eligibility, categories, utilization, and out-of-pocket costs) starting in 2029.
Directs the creation of a public-use data file on the CMS website while establishing strict privacy safeguards.
H.R. 9390 — Prices on the Wall Act of 2026
Purpose: To increase healthcare pricing transparency by requiring specific facilities to post discounted cash prices physically.
Key Provisions:
Mandates that hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, laboratories, and imaging providers post discounted cash prices for shoppable services and clinical tests by January 1, 2028.
H.R. 9392 — Medicare Advantage Cost Transparency Act
Purpose: To increase cost transparency in Medicare Advantage plans through detailed encounter data reporting.
Key Provisions:
Requires MA plans to submit encounter data including allowed amounts, cost-sharing breakdowns, and specific indicators regarding in-home health risk assessments starting January 1, 2027.
H.R. 9393 — Lower Costs, More Transparency Act of 2026
Purpose: To promote price transparency and accountability among hospitals and health systems.
Key Provisions:
Enforces standardized reporting rules for hospital standard charges and prices.
Establishes monitoring, audit processes, and civil monetary penalties for non-compliant facilities based on hospital bed size.
H.R. 9396 — Prior Authorization Accountability Act
Purpose: To increase accountability and transparency in health plan prior authorization processes.
Key Provisions:
Requires group health plans, ERISA plans, and IRC-governed plans to publicly display claim denial rates, processing times, and approval/denial statistics online.
Mandates the use of modern technology (such as AI and machine learning) to process and track claims transparently.
H.R. 9397 — Premium Transparency Act
Purpose: To increase consumer transparency and insurer accountability across health insurance markets.
Key Provisions:
Requires health insurers to publish overhead costs and claim payments online starting January 1, 2027.
Mandates that Exchange-offered plans include comparative information by 2029 and directs HHS to issue plain-English benefit guidance by 2028.
Healthcare Access, Services & Pharmaceuticals
H.R. 1703 (Choices for Increased Mobility Act of 2025) — Manual Wheelchair Payment Rules
Purpose: To clarify Medicare Part B payment rules and expand options for ultralightweight manual wheelchairs.
Key Provisions:
Establishes separate HCPCS codes for ultralightweight manual wheelchairs built with titanium or carbon fiber.
Ensures suppliers are paid consistently regardless of material and permits balance-billing beneficiaries for cost differences under specific notice protections.
H.R. 5526 (Biosimilar Red Tape Elimination Act) — Biosimilar Interchangeability Requirements
Purpose: To streamline regulatory pathways and reduce regulatory hurdles for biological products.
Key Provisions:
Amends Section 351(k) of the Public Health Service Act to update definitions and requirements for determining the interchangeability of biosimilars.
Simplifies data submission criteria and updates guidance documents to accelerate development.
H.R. 8201 — Community Health Center Behavioral and Mental Health Services
Purpose: To mandate and expand behavioral health, mental health, and substance use disorder services in community health centers.
Key Provisions:
Amends the Public Health Service Act to explicitly include behavioral, mental health, and substance use services in required primary health offerings.
Transfers $700 million annually from FY 2027 through 2031 from Affordable Care Act funds to financially back these expanded services.
H.R. 8908 — Preventing Pharmaceutical Petition Misuse
Purpose: To stop the misuse of administrative petitions designed to unfairly delay generic and biosimilar pharmaceutical approvals.
Key Provisions:
Clarifies that the FDA can deny petitions whose primary purpose is delaying generic or 505(b)(2) applications based on established risk factors (e.g., timing, serial submissions, lack of data).
Requires administrative exhaustion of remedies prior to filing civil lawsuits and mandates FDA reporting on petition delays.
H.R. 9389 — Nutrition Education and Chronic Disease Prevention in Community Health Centers Act of 2026
Purpose: To integrate evidence-based nutrition education and chronic disease prevention into federally qualified health centers (FQHCs).
Key Provisions:
Authorizes funding for nutrition counseling, dietary integration into chronic care management, and provider continuing education.
Establishes interdisciplinary care models incorporating registered dietitians, prioritizing FQHCs serving high-risk and food-insecure populations.
H.R. 9661 (Expedited Access to Biosimilars Act) — Biosimilar Clinical Study Requirements
Purpose: To expedite access to biosimilar products by clarifying and limiting unnecessary clinical study mandates.
Key Provisions:
Codifies that comparative clinical efficacy or pharmacodynamic studies are not default requirements for biosimilar licensure.
Restricts the Secretary's authority to mandate additional clinical studies (such as pharmacokinetics or immunogenicity) strictly to cases where they are explicitly deemed necessary with written notice.
Energy, Grid Reliability & Infrastructure
H.R. 5880 (Fight Illicit Pill Presses Act) — Pill Press Machine Tracking
Purpose: To amend the Controlled Substances Act to regulate and trace industrial tableting and encapsulating machines.
Key Provisions:
Requires regulated manufacturers and distributors to identify tableting and encapsulating machines and critical parts by serial number.
Mandates reporting of transactions to the Attorney General and prohibits the alteration or removal of serial numbers.
H.R. 6529 (Protecting Families from AI Data Center Energy Costs Act) — AI Data Center Energy Cost Safeguards
Purpose: To protect residential and small commercial utility ratepayers from high energy costs driven by artificial intelligence data centers.
Key Provisions:
Requires FERC to host a stakeholder technical conference within 90 days to evaluate rate structures and protection strategies.
Mandates a report to Congress within 180 days outlining recommendations and best practices.
H.R. 6633 — Best-Available Transmission Conductor Standard
Purpose: To promote energy efficiency, reduce thermal sag, and improve grid reliability through advanced transmission conductors.
Key Provisions:
Establishes a standard for "best-available transmission conductors" regarding capacity, efficiency, and thermal mitigation.
Creates a cost-recovery presumption favoring utilities that deploy best-available conductors while penalizing non-compliant choices.
H.R. 9332 (Load Forecasting Enhancement Act) — Electric Load Forecasting Improvement
Purpose: To improve the accuracy and transparency of electric load forecasting to support grid reliability and affordability.
Key Provisions:
Directs FERC to establish regional joint boards within 90 days to study forecasting practices, data modeling, and economic development projections.
Amends PURPA standards to incorporate improved electric load forecasting frameworks across states.
H.R. 9335 (Advanced Transmission Technology to Reduce Rates Act) — Advanced Transmission & Wildfire Mitigation
Purpose: To encourage advanced grid technologies and establish federal wildfire risk-reduction practices.
Key Provisions:
Establishes a clearinghouse and technical assistance program for advanced transmission technologies.
Mandates best practices for vegetation management, engineering approaches, and operational safety to mitigate bulk-power wildfire ignition, exempting qualified actions from NEPA.
H.R. 9338 — Pipeline Transportation Safety Improvements
Purpose: To enhance the safety, transparency, and regulatory enforcement of U.S. pipeline transportation.
Key Provisions:
Establishes a voluntary information-sharing system (VIS) governed by a 15-member stakeholder board.
Amends minimum safety standards to factor in economic and health benefits, enhances formal hearing and penalty procedures, and increases safety funding.
H.R. 9339 (Affordable Innovation for the Grid Act) — AI & High-Performance Computing Grid Assessment
Purpose: To evaluate the application of artificial intelligence and high-performance computing to optimize bulk-power system performance.
Key Provisions:
Requires the Secretary of Energy to assess AI and high-performance computing technologies within 90 days to expedite generator interconnection studies and boost efficiency.
Mandates a report to Congress within one year containing technology adoption recommendations.
H.R. 9340 — Large-Load Customer Cost Recovery Standard
Purpose: To establish a federal cost-recovery standard ensuring large-load customers fully cover their grid upgrade costs.
Key Provisions:
Amends PURPA to require electric utilities to design rates recovering full incremental costs for upgrades serving large-load customers (aggregate peak demand of 100 megawatts or more).
Mandates financial assurances and contributions from large-load consumers.
Critical Materials, Environment & Defense
H.R. 9616 — Critical Materials Recovery from Contaminated Sites
Purpose: To establish an EPA program for recovering critical materials from environmentally contaminated locations.
Key Provisions:
Directs the EPA to provide assistance (up to $10 million annually) to investigate and execute critical material recovery from contaminated sites.
Establishes evaluation criteria focusing on national security, domestic supply chains, environmental remediation, and public health.
H.R. 9617 — National Critical Mineral Recovery Strategy
Purpose: To create a coordinated national strategy for recovering critical minerals from discarded materials.
Key Provisions:
Requires the EPA Administrator to formulate a strategy identifying secondary sources of critical minerals to reinforce domestic supply chains safely.
Mandates regular reports to Congress outlining strategy activities and legislative recommendations.
H.R. 8800 (NDAA FY 2027) — National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027
Purpose: To authorize appropriations and set personnel strengths for military and defense-related activities for fiscal year 2027.
Key Provisions:
Authorizes funding for Department of Defense procurement, research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E), and operation and maintenance.
Prescribes active-duty and reserve military personnel strengths.
H.R. 9624 (Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027) — Intelligence Activities Funding
Purpose: To authorize appropriations and outline operational guidelines for federal intelligence activities for fiscal year 2027.
Key Provisions:
Authorizes fiscal year funding for intelligence activities, the CIA Retirement and Disability System ($514 million), and the Intelligence Community Management Account ($591 million).
Increases federal employee compensation and benefits while restricting intelligence operations strictly to lawful conduct.
Federal Government Operations & Social Programs
H.Con.Res. 26 — Fiscal Year 2018 Federal Budget Presentation Date
Purpose: To establish a specific statutory deadline for submitting the U.S. Government budget for fiscal year 2018.
Key Provisions:
Directs the President of the United States to present the FY 2018 budget to Congress, the Speaker of the House, and the President pro tempore of the Senate by February 6, 2017.
Repeals Section 301(a) of Title 3, United States Code, as amended by Public Law 114-255.
H.R. 8884 — Disability Insurance Demonstration Project Authority Reauthorization
Purpose: To temporarily reauthorize and expand the Social Security disability insurance demonstration project authority.
Key Provisions:
Extends the Disability Insurance Demonstration Project Authority by 9 years to December 31, 2031.
Authorizes temporary benefit waivers for up to 120 days post-expiration, covers administrative expenses through Title II funds, and protects participants from total income reductions.
H.R. 6955 — Banking Law Improvements & Regulatory Reform
Purpose: To make systemic adjustments to federal banking laws, supervision frameworks, and community bank rules.
Key Provisions:
Implements a 3-year phase-in period for new banks to meet capital requirements and establishes a Community Bank Leverage Ratio for rural depository institutions.
Introduces agricultural loan authorities for federal savings associations and mandates annual charter and application reports.